Shloka 16
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 104 — कर्णोत्पत्ति, दानधर्म, वैकर्तन-नामकरण
Karna’s Birth, Gift-Ethic, and the Name Vaikartana
त्यजेच्च पृथ्वी गन्धमापश्च रसमात्मन: । ज्योतिस्तथा त्यजेद् रूप॑ वायु: स्पर्शगुणं त्यजेत्,“पृथ्वी अपनी गंध छोड़ दे, जल अपने रसका परित्याग कर दे, तेज रूपका और वायु स्पर्श नामक स्वाभाविक गुणका त्याग कर दे
tyajec ca pṛthivī gandham āpaś ca rasam ātmanaḥ | jyotis tathā tyajed rūpaṁ vāyuḥ sparśa-guṇaṁ tyajet |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Mesmo que a terra abandonasse sua fragrância natural, as águas seu sabor inerente, o fogo sua forma e o vento sua qualidade de toque…”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the fixed qualities of the elements (earth-smell, water-taste, fire-form, air-touch) as an analogy for moral steadfastness: just as abandoning intrinsic properties would be unnatural, abandoning one’s own rightful duty and nature (svadharma) is a serious ethical lapse.
Vaiśampāyana is delivering a didactic statement within the Adi Parva narration, employing a cosmological analogy (the elements and their guṇas) to reinforce a moral point about remaining true to one’s ordained role and conduct.